Asian elephants bury and mourn their dead babies, study says

In some cases studied in India, herdsmen carried the dead elephant by its trunk and legs before burying it on its back. And in one case, elephants trumpeted loudly around the remains.

Asian elephants bury their young after death and mourn loudly, according to a study by Indian scientists detailing the behavior of the pachyderms reminiscent of human funerals. Researchers identified five sites where elephants buried a baby elephant each time in 2022 and 2023 in North Bengal, India, according to a study published on February 26. Journal of Threatened Taxa.

Five baby elephants, aged between three months and 1 year, all died of organ failure. The researchers found that, in each case, the herd carried the dead baby elephant by its trunk and legs before burying it on its back. “Through timely observations, digital photographs, field notes and autopsy reports, we suggest that whatever the cause of the child’s death, the remains were buried in the eerie manner of an invisible person.”The study says.

“No direct human intervention”

In one case, the herd trumpeted loudly around a baby elephant lying underground, the study authors wrote. The study explains that only the young are buried, thus, the adults are transported “impossible” by herds because of their size and weight. Authors Parveen Kaswan and Akashdeep Roy said their research did not stand out “No direct human intervention” At the burial of each child of five elephants.

Clear footprints of 15 to 20 elephants were seen around the burial sites and on the earth under which the remains were buried. The elephants buried the calves in the irrigation canals of tea gardens, a few hundred meters away from human settlements. Elephants are known for their social and cooperative behavior, but calves were buried “Briefly studied” Among African elephants. According to the study, the phenomenon was still underexplored among their Asian cousins.

Asian elephants are on the endangered species list compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. About 26,000 of them live in the wild, mainly in India, but also some in Southeast Asia. Outside of captivity, they live an average of 60 to 70 years.